Manufacture and production of staple fiber



July 1s, 1940.

F. R. COLESHILL El AL 2, 08,497 MANUFACTUREAND PRODUCTION OF STAPLE FIBER Filed Jan. 4, 1938 V Inventors: AND FEE DERICK EOBER 5 COLESHILL JOHN HUNbTER MCKEOWN 4 y "TWOTIICYS Patented July 16, 1940 2,208,497

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE MANUFACTURE AND PRODUCTION OF STAPLE FIBER Frederick Roberts Coleshill, Holywell, Wales, and John Hunter McKeown, Leamington Spa, England, assignorsto Courtaulds Limited, London, England, a company of Great Britain Application January 4, 1938, Serial No. 183,392 In Great Britain January 8, 1937 5 Claims. (Cl. 19-1) This invention relates to the production of greater than that of the first. After it leaves artificial threads, filaments and the like in the the second roller it is then passed round a third form of staple fiber. roller rotating at a somewhat slower peripheral It has already been proposed, in the producspeed than the second roller before it reaches the tion of staple fiber, to stretch the thread immedicutting device. This third roller may be driven ately after formation on its way to the cutting by a shaft separate from. that bearing the secdevice. For example, it has been proposed in nd roller or it may be on the same shaft, or it the production of staple fiber from. viscose to colmay form a part of the second roller with relect the threads leaving the setting bath so that duced diameter. they form a bundle or tow and pass this bundle The peripheral speed of the third roller is less successively around two driven rollers of which than that of the second roller by so much that the second has a greater peripheral speed than the contraction of the thread leaving the second the first and then to lead the bundle to a cutting roller is approximately compensated for. The device of the type described in British specificathread is then neither slack nor tight on the tion No. 289,028 convention date April 20, 1927, third roller and is in the most suitable condition in which the bundle is caused by centrifugal force for forwarding direct to the cutting device for to pass along a radial passage in a rapidly rotatthe production of staple fibers of more uniform ing disc at the periphery of which is stationed length.

a cutting blade, which at each revolution cuts In another examp the thread Or bundle of m off the portion of the bundle which has emerged th ads may b str t h by pa v ra ti s from the radial passage. It has also been proround a conical roller, arriving at the narrow posed, during the stretching process, to subject end and being caused to move in a helical path the bundle of threads to treatment with hot watowards the broad end. Owing to the difference ter or hot dilute acid. in the peripheral speeds at the narrow and the When a thread or a bundle of threads is subbroad end, stretch will take place as the thread 25 jected to considerable stretching a certain s moved along the The improved p of amount of contraction of the thread takes place the invention is thereupon effected y P n as it leaves the stretching device and if the thread the thread several times round a second conical be led directly therefrom to a cutting device the r, wh ch m y be in egr lly united and placed "contraction takes place in jerks, so that the base to, base with the former one, in such a staple length of the cut threads is not uniform. mann r tha i passes helically along h roller Theobject of the present invention is to pror m the broad to the n rrow end. In this, case vide an improvement in the process of producing the diameter and therefore the peripheral speed staple fiber from artificial threads, filaments and of the narrow end of the second roller is just the like which have been stretched, whereby a sufliciently less than the diameter and peripheral 35 I moreuniform length of staple is obtained. speed of the broad end that the contraction of According to the present invention, in the prothe thread is approximately compensated for. duction of staple fiber by a process in which a Any one or more of the peripheral surfaces continuous thread, filament the like, referred to above may be grooved, corrugated or dle thereof, is stretched by passing it in succesflut d if desired.

sion round two or more peripheral surfaces each The drawing illustrates by way of example only rotating with a peripheral speed greater than apparatus for carrying out the process of the the previous one and is thereafter cut, we obtain a more uniform length of staple by including the ij mventmn. 1 d1 1 thr ad step of passing the aforesaid thread or bundle f it g i 6 i t e s 46 of threads after it has passed round the stretch- I passmg mug gm 6 orm 0w ing device, but before it arrives at the cutting deof F tow 3 1s Stretched by vice, round another peripheral surface rotating Rassmg 1t m rollers of equal t a peripheral speed so much 1858 than that diameter 4 and 5, 5 rotating faster than 4. After of the last of the stretching surfaces as to comleaving the T0119! 5 the e 15 passed round 50 pensate approximately for the co t ti f other roller 6 the same size as l and 5, but rothe thread which takes place. tating at a speed so mu h slower than 5 that a For example, the thread may be stretched by contraction of the thread on leaving 5 is compassing it in succession round two rollers, the pensated for. After leaving the roller 6 the tow 6 peripheral speed of the second of which is is passed over the guide 1 to the hopper 8 of a roller I2 from the narrow end and is then passed The conical rollers H and I2 are united end to end.

What we claim is:

1. In the manufacture and production of staple fiber by passage thereof to said cutting step. i 3. In the manufacture and production of staa process in which a continuous of threads is stretched by passing it in succession round two rollers, the second ers and to said cutting step.

4. In the manufacture and production of stasteps to said cutter.

FREDERICK ROBERTS COLESHILL. JOHN HUNTER MCKEOWN. 

